"If your company sells a product ... any product, tangible or intangible ... this book is a must read. If your firm provides a service ... the kind of service doesn't matter ... this book is a must read. In other words, if you're in business this book ought to be at the top of your To Do list."

Mark Schneider - Product Specialist, Cornerstone Brands

"Bill Peace did an excellent job of describing Supply Chain Management. His book will enhance the understanding and value of SCM to managers that take the opportunity to read his work. Although the examples are modeled after consumer products, the overall concepts and philosophies are applicable to all forms of business."

"Thanks so much for your book! The human element sections were great, like leading/managing, coaching/teaching. After retiring from Levi Strauss, I wish I could have another career to put some of your suggested practices in place. Being very right-brain, reading 'Unique Human Element Factors and Skills Needed in Developing Markets' was very inspirational and totally appropriate. I saw so many managers sent to these markets fail because of their lack of knowledge and skills."

“Bill has been a guest speaker for me at the MBA and EMBA classes which I have conducted at Sasin over the last five years. He always brings the subject of Supply Chain Management Operations to life with his vast experiences and knowledge of supply chains around the world. My students learn so much from him through his technical knowledge of the subject and enjoy the way he presents the material through his experiences, examples and real-life stories. You will learn so much from this book and have fun reading it at the same time.”Chaipong Pongpanich - Ph.D. (Cambridge)Director of Research & Mgmt Consulting - Sasin, Chulalongkorn University

“Bill Peace knows global supply chains and with this book he openly shares his expertise with his readers. As a guest lecturer in my University of Chicago executive programs in both London and Singapore, Bill consistently demonstrated how he put his knowledge into action at P&G. Most importantly, he was able to effortlessly communicate the value of effective supply chain execution to firm performance. In this book, Bill brings to life the many stories he has collected over a long and successful career. Read and see how his supply chain concepts can apply to your own firm.”

"I really loved the book, finished reading it in a week. Bill's book is very insightful and inspiring. Congratulations to him for this pioneering effort to get best-in-class practices in P&G's supply chain known to the rest of the world."

“I had the absolute pleasure of working with Bill for a good portion of his career with Procter and Gamble. His grasp of supply chain management and the work processes and people systems that drive outstanding results in all phases of SCM are impeccable. This, coupled with Bill's vast global experience and his personal energy, enthusiasm and commitment to doing what's right for the business, customers and employees puts this book on the MUST READ LIST if you are interested in finding innovative ways to have SCM deliver positive bottom line results.”

Bob KeehnSenior ConsultantCincinnati Consulting Consortium

“Bill has produced a text that is approachable and sensible, salted with vivid commentary based on 32 years of Supply Chain Management experience. Moreover, the thinking and tools can be applied across industries and at any level within customer service or the supply chain function. I have known Bill for years and the person whom I know, and the personality on the page are the same. Bill and those around him have prospered using these methods and I commend them to you.”

Andrew ButeuxSupply Chain Mgmt ConsultantThe Partnering Group

"The book is an amazing trip down memory lane of logistics inventions, interventions, and many names of good old P&G friends. Bill did a great job of capturing the changes and keeping his personality alive - together. I bought a second copy for a colleague as a must read."

Jeanne Reisinger, Director - Product Supply, The Procter & Gamble Co.

About the Book

Effective and efficient supply chain management is vitally important in today’s global competitive business environment. Moving product more efficiently through all stages of manufacturing, ordering, and distribution provides companies with a distinct advantage in the marketplace. “Supply Chain Management: The Real WOW Factor” delves into the critical elements needed to succeed in business, grow volume, improve profits, and of course delight customers and consumers around the world.

Supply Chain Management: The Real WOW Factor

Foreword

This probably isn’t the first supply chain book on your shelf. But this ought to be the first you read all the way through. Bill Peace has produced a text that reminds me of Richard Feynman’s book, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! He has deftly combined a memoir and textbook into something that is approachable and sensible. Moreover, the thinking and tools can be applied across industries and at any level within a customer service or supply chain function.Throughout the book, Bill provides commentary salted with years of experience and links them to actual working documents and exhibits based on his thirty-two years with Procter & Gamble (P&G). What’s important is that this book traces many of the seminal events in the evolution of P&G’s supply chain. Most readers think about P&G this way:• Excellence in marketing• Reliability in manufacturing• Critical consumer understanding• Consistent financial growthBill’s writing not only brings to life a lot of the hidden personality of P&G, but the manner in which it moved from internally focused metrics to one in which the supply chain view was extended through to the customers’ shelves.This book is structured in a four-part modular format. Each module can be read independently, and all are related.• It’s Alive: Global Supply Chain EvolutionThis module outlines four strategic approaches that help turn an internally focused supply network to a responsive competitive weapon while delivering shareholder value across trading partners. • Measuring and Managing Supply ChainsThis module focuses on the capital M management aspects of transformational change. Regrettably, all grand strategic platforms devolve into real work, and Bill does a nice job of keeping it simple. • Developing Markets: What They Really Are and How You Can Be Successful in ThemThis module paints a picture of the complexities of managing supply networks in markets that represent about two-thirds of the world’s population and most of its growth. Bill discusses a number of important concepts, but none more critical than shelf back pricing, low-cost network solutions, and managing and leading in a culture that is not your own.• What It Takes to Win in Business Today … No Kidding!Bill’s guidance and approach really combines Eastern and Western thinking and balances both the need to create change while existing in an ever-changing world.Please enjoy and use this book. I’ve known Bill for years, and the person I know and the personality on the page are the same. Bill and those around him have prospered using these methods, and I commend them to you.Andrew F. Buteux

Andrew F. Buteux worked for P&G for almost twenty-eight years. He had a very successful career in sales and supply chain management, specifically in the area of customer management. He is currently a supply chain management consultant with the Partnering Group and lives in New Jersey.